Singing in a choir may have some of the same positive effects as yoga, according to a small new exploratory study that found the regular breathing patterns required can reduce the variability of your heartbeat.

When people sing in a choir their heartbeats synchronize, so that the pulse of choir members tends to increase and decrease in unison, the researchers said.

Not only is reducing the variability of your heartbeat likely good for your health, but singing can enhance the spirit of cooperation in a group because it helps regulate activity in the vagus nerve, which is linked to emotions and communication with others.

“Songs with long phrases achieve the same effect as breathing exercises in yoga,” said lead author BjÃ¶rn Vickhoff of Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg. “In other words, through song we can exercise a certain control over mental states.”

The researchers studied the heart rates of 15 18-year-old choral singers and arranged for them to perform three different choral exercises: monotone humming, singing the Swedish hymn “HÃ¤rlig Ã¤r Jorden” (Lovely Is the Earth), as well as the chanting of a slow mantra. The heart rhythm of the choir members was recorded as they performed in each case.

The study was published online July 9 in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.

Previous research from earlier this year finds that singing in a choir helps form social bonds, according to researchers from Nord-Trondelag Health Trust in Norway. A prior UK study reveals that singing can trigger the release of endorphins, which boost your feelings of happiness and pleasure.

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